BJP MLA Sangita Patil records third straight win in Surat’s Limbayat seat despite strong anti-incumbency
- Thursday | 8th December, 2022
While cases had been consistently rising until April 24, average daily testing was around 28,000. Later, when the peak showed a downward trend and the state government announced partial lockdown, the average daily tests in the city crossed 30,000.
Even after it tamed the virus considerably, Surat Municipal Corporation has not given up its fight against the pandemic.
Despite fresh cases and positivity rate coming down, the civic body is still aggressively continuing to test samples to break the chain of transmission. Interestingly, when the contagion was at its peak, number of samples that were being tested was not as high as it is now in the city. SMC officials said that the increasing testing is not only helping in identifying positive cases at the earliest but also keeping the positivity rate low.
While cases had been consistently rising until April 24, average daily testing was around 28,000. Later, when the peak showed a downward trend and the state government announced partial lockdown, the average daily tests in the city crossed 30,000.
“We have intensified testing because more number of people tested makes it easier for us to trace the virus,” said SMC commissioner Banchhanidhi Pani. “It has also helped in quick recovery from the second wave of the virus. Surat is the only city in the country with the least positivity rate of 2.8% and we want to bring it further down to less than 1%,” he claimed.
“Our teams are actively surveying and combing vulnerable areas and containment zones and if we find somebody, who was reluctant to go out and test, to be positive during the random testing he or she is quarantined,” said another SMC official, adding that this arrests unknowing transmission of the virus.
SMC has been rigorously testing those entering the city, industry workers and handcart owners and has so far conducted over 2.5 lakh rapid antigen test (RAT) at the entry points, of which 7,081 samples tested positive.
Doctors in the city too have not let their guards down. “Bed availability has become easy, but ICU beds with ventilators are still occupied. So people should understand the ongoing seriousness and not become lax,” said Dr Nirmal Choraria, convenor of IMA Covid Action Committee.
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